A new study found that employees report that their boss affects their mental health just as much as a spouse or partner does.
Here’s what we found.
What’s the news: The Workforce Institute at UKG released a study that found that “three-fifths of the world’s employees say their job impacts their mental health more than anything else.”
After surveying 3,400 people from 10 different countries, UKG reported these highlights:
- Sixty-nine percent of people surveyed reported that their managers impact their mental health just as much as a spouse or partner would, but more than a doctor or therapist.
- Seventy-one percent of people surveyed found that stress from work impacts their home life, 64% said it impacts their well-being and 62% reported that it impacts their relationships.
- Two-thirds of people surveyed said they would a pay cut in order to help their mental health and 70% of managers surveyed said they would as well.
- More than 80% of employees surveyed said they would rather have good mental health than a high-paying job.
- Forty percent of high ranking executive employees reported that they are likely to quit their position at the end of the year from the stress their job creates.
What has been said: “We talk a lot about mental health in terms of a medical diagnosis or burnout. While those are serious issues, the day-to-day stressors we live with — especially those caused by work — are what we should talk more about as leaders,” Pat Wadors, chief people officer at UKG, said in a press release.
Jarik Conrad, the executive director of human insights and HCM advisory at UKG, said that working from crisis to crisis wears on employees and is most likely the reason for this study’s discoveries.
“Many workers today realize that there are more important things in life than work, and leaders must recognize an employee’s continuum of needs and meet them where they are in thoughtful and meaningful ways. Employers have an opportunity to meet the expectations of the modern workforce with personal and technological improvements,” Conrad said.
So now what? Fortune reported that people should begin to take inventory of their working conditions if therapy isn’t really helping and people are still feeling stressed after a work day.
“Leaders need to avoid burying their heads in the sand and instead make mental health a global topic of discussion within their teams,” report said, according to Fortune. “From there, HR can increase awareness or access to available resources and help employees better understand the company’s total investment in their health and well-being.”